51
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
60
Direct injuries
$965K
Property damage
Lightning in El Paso County, Colorado: 51 recorded events between 1996 and 2017. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #38 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in El Paso County, Colorado: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in El Paso County is the 2000s, when 24 of the county's 51 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the El Paso County archive, lightning makes up 1.9% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #38 for this hazard and #1 within Colorado, putting it in the 98.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in El Paso County with 24 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2007 | COLORADO SPGS | 0 | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| May 30, 2001 | FT CARSON | 0 | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2003 | MONUMENT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2000 | COLORADO SPGS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 1997 | MONUMENT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 1996 | COLORADO SPGS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2013 | FOUNTAIN | 0 | 0 | 12 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 1999 | COLORADO SPGS | 0 | 0 | 8 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2017 | FT CARSON | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 19, 2016 | CALHAN | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2015 | FALCON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2014 | BLACK FOREST | 0 | $50K |
| Jun 25, 2014 | (AFF)USAF ACDMY COLO | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 31, 2013 | FOUNTAIN | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2012 | PEYTON | 0 | $30K |
| Jul 24, 2011 | SCHRIEVER AFB | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2010 | SCHRIEVER AFB | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2009 | COLORADO SPGS | 0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from El Paso County
- Hail 1,911
- Heavy Rain 250
- Flash Flood 182
- Thunderstorm Wind 168
- Tornado 97
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 14-year old girl sustained minor burns from a lightning flash, and was taken to the hospital and treated. Two other girls were nearby and were stunned by the lightning flash. The lightning in that area knocked out power to over 3,000 customers.
A lightning flash struck close to the Grace Fellowship Church's football team, sending a side flash into the group. Eight team members were knocked to the ground, but no one was seriously injured. One player suffered a concussion.
A lightning bolt struck near the top of the Holly Sugar Building in downtown Colorado Springs, knocking several pieces of concrete out, sending them crashing to the sidewalk and Pikes Peak Avenue below. There were no injuries or vehicles struck by the falling concrete.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in El Paso County, Colorado?
51 lightning events are recorded in El Paso County between 1996 and 2017, causing 6 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in El Paso County?
The strongest lightning on record in El Paso County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for El Paso County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Lightning in El Paso County, Colorado.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/colorado/el-paso-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.